You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Ahmadinejad allies defeated
2006-12-21
Allies of hardline Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmmadinejad suffered a stinging defeat in elections for TehranÂ’s city council, losing to moderate conservatives and reformists, results showed Wednesday.

Although final results have still to be published five days after the vote, returns on 80 percent of ballots show that allies of moderate Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf are set to win a clear majority. The Tehran count is the last result due from FridayÂ’s nationwide elections for municipal councils and for the clerical Assembly of Experts in the first major test of popularity for Ahmadinejad since he swept to power in 2005.

Allies of Qalibaf, a technocratic moderate conservative, were set to win eight seats on the 15-member body, bolstered by the win of an independent loyal to the mayor. Reformers were set to gain four seats and Ahmadinejad allies two. The candidates running in the top two places were the city councilÂ’s current head, Mehdi Chamran, and ex-Tehran police chief Morteza Talaie, both allies of Qalibaf.
Posted by:Fred

#8  Lol. Whadever you say, DoDo.
Posted by: .com   2006-12-21 12:30  

#7  It's the economy, stupid. The Iranian economy sucks and Ahmanutjob ran on a platform of fixing it. He hasn't, and in fact has increased gas prices.

End of story.
Posted by: DoDo   2006-12-21 12:27  

#6  Exactly so, mrp. Very astute observation... explains much regards his behavior. He's their messenger, lightening rod, social buffoon... the regime's public target.

Rafsanjani is, as ed sez, a smoother operator - one tool being reduced in public status in favor of another tool changes nothing. This prolly just indicates a decision to moderate the rhetoric a notch or two, since it played rather badly in the international thingy.

In my humble opinion the Black Hats run the show, completely and utterly, and methinks the elections are merely a part of the performance for the amusement / distraction of the masses.

Nothing has changed. The goal is Muzzy hegemony and the elimination of Israel - the ultimate chip in the Muzzy bragging rights game. No one, not even Mo hissownself, can top that.
Posted by: .com   2006-12-21 09:50  

#5  The Midget makes a handy policital cut-out for the Mullahs.
Posted by: mrp   2006-12-21 09:25  

#4  This has no effect on Iranian external relations. Iranians still want atomic weapons, hegemony over all Persian gulf peoples and oil, and the destruction of Jews and Christians. They just want less batshit rhetoric, and world attention, while doing it. Rafsanjani is smoother than Ahmmadinejad and Yazdi, but the goals are the same.
Posted by: ed   2006-12-21 09:00  

#3  As long as the Mad Mullahs have the power to censor and revise all legislation, you could elect Joe Lieberman and it wouldn't change things.
Posted by: Jackal   2006-12-21 08:54  

#2  The soviets had a phrase for it "One step back, two steps forward."
Posted by: gromgoru   2006-12-21 07:07  

#1  All right. Let's hear it; Is this a good thing or bad thing?

Although slightly convoluted, this snafu straightens itself out pretty quickly into one of two fairly obvious scenarios:

1.) Too bad Ahmadinejad wasn't dealt a setback in order to weaken his influence and thereby lessen any likelihood of Iran's collision course with the West over nuclear weapons.

2.) Ahmadinejad should remain in power so that Iran is steered directly onto the rocks of pre-emptive strikes needed to neutralize their nascent atomic weapons program.

3.) Huh?
Posted by: Zenster   2006-12-21 00:34  

00:00